S
Scotth1960
Guest
Dear dscherck, Your words above are exactly the belief and doctrine of the Orthodox Church. Where Roman "catholic" belief differs is it adds a third plank to the Holy Scripture and the Holy Apostolic Tradition: the alleged "infallible" "Magisterium", the Latin papacy, bishops of Rome. Since you concede that "people do err", it is indeed inevitable that the popes of Rome can and do err, and that they are not infallible in their dogmatic statements, and their teachings regarding faith and morals. No Christian is guaranteed freedom from doctrinal or moral error. Where Orthodoxy and Catholicism agree perfectly is that Christianity is not based on the Bible alone. Where they disagree strongly and historically is on the role and meaning of the Roman papacy, the bishops of Rome. In the early Church, all bishops were equal, and none claimed universal jurisdiction globally over the entire inhabited earth. Rome's ambition is sinful, and full of pride. A Catholic bishop is meant to have local jurisdiction only, or jurisdiction, at most, of a nation, not of every nation. What is a true Catholic bishop. An Orthodox Catholic Christian bishop. Not a Frankish-Latin papal bishop over the whole world. A pope of Rome as a local Orthodox Catholic bishop, a Roman patriarch only. Over all of Rome and at the furthest over all of Italy, but no more than that. It really is I think stretching it to say all of Italy. Really, all of Rome, for there are other Catholic bishops over the remaining cities of Italy.See, there's the problem. The idea that the Christian religion is based on the Bible is completely false. The inverse is true. The Bible is based on the teachings of the Christian religion. Remember that the first Christians didn't have Bibles easily accessible to them, and indeed, many of the letters and books that comprise the New Testament weren't compiled until years, sometimes decades after they were written. So, right off the bat we have an issue of, if the Christian religion is Bible based, how could there be any Christians prior to the canonization of the Scriptures?
People do err, Holy Tradition is kept free from error though through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is a product of Holy Tradition and the Christian Church. Taking it out of the proper context and you find confusion. Thus we see people here debating on things like, infant baptism, is baptism immersion only, do you baptize in the Trinity or in Jesus' name, is baptism symbolic or does it really cleanse our soul, etc... If the Scripture is so clear as you claim, then why are there so many instances where good men and women who base their religion solely on the Bible don't agree on things?
God save us all from the FILIOQUE error. Amen. See John 15:26-27, God bless you. Amen. In Erie PA June 2011 AD Scott R. Harrington